Huawei Watch 2 news, rumors, and release date

The original Huawei Watch was long-considered one of the best-looking and classiest smartwatches out there — and for good reason. The device, however, was launched way back in early 2015 — we’re finally about to see a second-generation model.

What will the Huawei Watch 2 look like? And how much of an upgrade will it feature under the hood? Here’s everything we know about the Huawei Watch 2 so far.

Release date and availability

The Huawei Watch 2 will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February, though it is not known if it will be available at that time or just announced. The news comes from Huawei’s CEO of Huawei Technologies Consumer Business Richard Yu, who announced it via a Weibo post.

Yu also added an image of a person wearing the watch, though it’s hard to tell what the smartwatch actually looks like.

Yu doesn’t explicitly say the smartwatch will be unveiled at MWC, but his post contains the hashtag “#MWC2017” so it’s safe to say we will learn more about the device at the conference.

Design

According to well-known leaker Evan Blass, who published a report on Venture Beat, the Huawei Watch 2 may take a different direction than the original device, making use of a slightly sportier design, with a 1.4-inch display and classic styling. There will also be both leather and stainless steel straps.

This follows a trend in the wearable technology market — many watchmakers are turning to slightly sportier designs as a way to try and entice those who use fitness trackers to instead opt for a smartwatch.

Specs

According to the Venture Beat report, the Huawei Watch 2 will add one significant feature — cellular connectivity. The report notes that a version with a built-in SIM will be available. This will allow the device to make or take phone calls, as well as access the internet without needing connectivity to a phone.

Not much else is known about the Huawei Watch 2 just yet, but it’s likely that the device will run Android Wear 2.0 — Google’s next-gen wearable operating system that recently launched alongside two LG-built smartwatches.

We’ll update this article as we hear more.

Article originally published in January. Updated on 02-13-2017 by Julian Chokkattu: Added news that the Huawei Watch 2 will be unveiled at MWC.